POOR PITCH: Kent have decided to lodge an appeal against the ECB's decision to impose an eight-point penalty for the condition of the Mote ground's pitch during the county's championship game with Gloucester. A total of 18 wickets tumbled with the addition of just 288 runs on day two of the match, which Kent won by seven wickets. The outcome of the appeal will be known on Friday. Pending the deduction Kent picked up 18 points, leaving them in fourth place in the Frizzell County Championship league table. In the totesport League the Spitfires dropped to seventh with a 90-run defeat against the Derbyshire Phantoms, for whom Michael Di Venuto scored a century.

FULTON FLIES UP THE CHARTS: David Fulton (pictured right) has moved up the rankings in Sky's "Skipper League", in which the 18 county captains pit their wits against one another in a fantasy cricket format. Shane Warne currently leads the way with 8,293 points, but Fulton's side moved three places up the league to fourth.

PATIENCE IS KEY: Having been criticised in the past for a perceived lack of durability, Kent and England opener Robert Key has revealed he is happy to bide his time for a Test recall. In light of his demotion from the squad to face Bangladesh, Key confessed: "I probably haven't done as well as I should have for England." Warwickshire's Ian Bell was promoted ahead of Key and Hampshire's Kevin Pietersen is also believed to be above him in the pecking order, but Key remained philosophical. He said: "If you keep scoring hundreds, you can't be that far away."